DMS Blog Post #8

On week 11, we went over Fullerton’s chapter about balance in games. This was one of the important topics we covered because it’s what keeps players satisfied and a way to communicate with developers. In the chapter, Fullerton states “Players will do things that you could have never anticipated. There might be gaps in the rules that made sense on paper, but… they lead to irresolvable situations or gray areas.” This can be said for many online and multiplayer games, as it’s like a test between the players and developers for the direction of how playstyles will continue. The way players will play the game won’t always be the intended way, depending on what they’re allowed to do.

One game we looked over was League of Legends, which is like the definition of game balancing. Currently there’s over 140 playable characters in the game, and It’s hard to balance a game with that many playstyles and options. We also learned more about it from a video of their developer, Ghostcrawler. He mentions that there’s a lot to account for when balancing, such as catering towards lower or higher tier players, rewarding players for investing time in certain champions, and maintaining trust with the community. I agree with most of his points because League is also an esports game, where players are more strategic and experienced compared to regular players. If the developers were to balance the game just for esports, then it makes the game confusing or unfair for regular players. A good but repetitive system they use is to buff weak champions to make them playable and nerf the popular/strong ones so others can take their spots. This just shows it’s hard, almost impossible, to make everything balanced and equal without actively adjusting to player needs.

Another game we looked at was Hearthstone. It’s a turn-based card game and much like League of Legends, there’s a lot of cards and playstyles. In order to balance the game, cards have different costs and abilities, so the stronger ones would cost more and riskier, and lower ones are weaker. It’s important to know how to counter certain cards, choose the right ones, and know how to use them effectively. As shown in our playthrough, a starting deck against a much prepared and stacked deck will definitely be a disadvantage due to having outdated or weaker cards. This is all tied to balance, what’s fair for all players, and to not feel overpowered/underpowered.

Sources

League of Legends, Riot Games, 2009

Hearthstone, Blizzard Entertainment, 2014

Fullerton, Tracy. Game Design Workshop: A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games, 4th Edition. 2019.